PTI leader and former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary in recent statement has hinted at PTI's Long March once again, for which he said the date is going to be announced soon by the PTI chief Imran Khan.  

Though it will not be in the Red Zone, but the venue of PTI's sit-in in Islamabad is close to the Red Zone as it will be staged in Fatima Jinnah Park and known as F-9 Park, which is only few kilometres away from D-Chowk, which was the venue of PTI's 120-day sit-in in 2014. Mr Fawad has also said that boarding and facilities will be made for marchers, as they would come from far flung areas as well to would join the March. One wonders as to what the PTI leaders are up to. 

The nation is passing through critical juncture of period. On the one hand, our economy is going nose-dive while on the other the flood catastrophe has wreaked havoc with the infrastructure with millions still living under the open sky with no shelter and very little food. The cold weather is upon us and instead of providing shelter and food to these flood affected masses, he out to make arrangements for his March participants in November with boarding and lodging facilities and lavish foods.

The question is from where does he get such funds to be so lavishly spending on the Marchers next month when the weather will become cold and it will need a lot of funds and finance to afford the expenses of such an extremely expensive March. Question arises into mind as to why not spend those funds on the relief activities for the flood victims who are running from pillar to post to make both ends meet.

As a matter of fact, the weather is turning cold in the country with each passing day and the flood affected people are in a fix for shelters. In such testing time, one would advise the  IK to focus on relief activities instead of spending lavishly on Long March. As a matter of fact, the IK should mobilise his workers and supporters to help the flood affected people before the advent of the cold weather because the extreme weather conditions will multiply the woes of these affected persons. It is very unfortunate that one-third of the country is still under water due to which the masses are reeling in real pain and agony but the PTI leaders are more concerned about his Long March. Right now, all the parties and political leaders need to work together to minimize the sufferings of the flood-affected people, who are living under open sky with little to no food available.

The pictures of improvised tents in flood-affected districts across the country are doing rounds on the social media, with the affected people making hectic appeals for food and shelter and other needs of life, but IK seems to be more interested in political activities than coming to the rescue of the masses. 

Soon the cold weather will upon us and the government and every political party and leader have the responsibility to collectively help the flood affected people, who are dependent on food, water and other essentials provided by Govt,  philanthropists or non-government organisations. Social media is abuzz with picture of flood affected people chasing trucks distributing food among the victims. It is ironic that in such a situation the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan is focused on Long March.

He should spend the amount allocated for the Long March on the flood victims to set a good precedent. Right now the entire world is concerned about Pakistan's floods and is contributing their bits for the flood victims but the IK is more concerned about grabbing power by hook or by crook. By doing so he is sending a wrong message to the world.  Recently, the UN chief was in Pakistan to see for the devastations caused by floods and one must be thankful to Antonio Guterres in this hour of distress. He was really disturbed to see the agonies of the flood victims who are  reeling under unprecedented impact of the climate change effects that have caused unprecedented floods with water inundating entire localities across the country.

While the UN chief is making efforts to  pursued the world to extend  generous support for the flood-affectees in the country, Imran Khan seems to be totally indifferent to the woes of the masses. 

It may be recalled here that the UN Chief has already initiated an appeal  recently seeking aid of  $160 million to help Pakistan's to cope with the aftermaths of the over two months of rains and floods devastations across the country. And one would advise the PTI chief Imran Khan to concentrate on the woes of the flood affected persons instead of holding Long March at times when the nation is faced with unprecedented devastation and catastrophe due to floods. In fact, the two months long monsoon rains which were abnormal in nature and the subsequent flash floods are unprecedented in nature which can be gauged from the fact that it severely impacted over 33 million people, also resulting in more than 1,100 deaths of the people since the start of the deadly monsoon in June last. Though the water level is subsiding but the destruction caused by the floods will take years rather decades to be rectified.

Millions of people are living in the open sky with very little to no food after losing their livelihoods, crops and livestock in the flash floods and being rendered shelter-less. In such a situation, it is difficult to providing food, water, health facilities and another emergent needs to an estimated 5.2 million flood affected people  in the country. According to the latest date of the  National Disaster Management Authority, as many as  72 out of the total 160 districts of the country are calamity-hit while the number of affectees stand at over  33 million , who suffered massive losses including homes, livestock, standing crops.

Most disturbingly the water which is standing everywhere and which has also broken the infrastructure like the roads, bridges, barrages, railway tracks and highways is also hampering the rescue and relief activities and hence only a high scale efforts can result in reaching out to the affectees effectively. And this is not possible without collective efforts, both at national level and the world at large.   Winter is almost upon us and in the wake of current situation is seems impossible to rehabilitate the millions by December this year so one can imagine the situation for himself. As reported, more than a million houses have been washed, over 160 bridges, and as many as 3,500 kilometers of roads across the country have been washed away by flash floods and totally or partially destroyed. The number of farm animals killed by the flash floods stands at over 800,000 which are unprecedented in nature. In fact, the current flash floods are more destructive in nature than that of 2010. On the other hand, the country's food insecurity situation is going to worsen in coming months as standing crops have been damaged and the prices of food items and essentials have also skyrocketed due to the ongoing rain and floods devastations.

Published in The Daily National Courier, October, 25 2022

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